[ShrimpBurrito]

We just finished painting a bedroom in our 1920s house, and in the process, removed the entry and closet doors in order to strip old paint from all the hardware, including the brass hinges and skeleton key locks. The doors are different widths, but the hinges appear to be exactly the same -- I measured them. They even have the same Stanley logo on them, which I initially thought meant that the hinges were not original, but upon visiting the Stanley website, I see they have been in business since way before the house was built.

Now that we are finished, the entry door does not close. (The closet door doesn't either, but it didn't before we painted.) It closed without any problems before. We DID NOT paint the edges of the door or the door jamb, so paint is not the problem. It closes to the point where there is about a 1" gap between the door and the jamb. It is hitting the top of the door opening (the lintel?) on the doorknob side -- it probably needs about another 1/16" or so of clearance to close.

There was a spacer behind one of the hinges. I tried the spacer in its original position and with it out, no luck. If I add it to the top hinge, I get more clearance up top, but then the jamb starts hitting the door. The bottom hinge is tightened up as much as it will go.

Incidentally, I did not keep the closet and entry door hinges separate when we stripped them. There are 2 hinges to each door, 2 parts to each hinge, so that's 8 different hinge halves that we mixed up. I didn't think there was going to be an issue since they all appeared identical, but now I'm wishing I had kept them separate for no reason other than I don't know what else could be the problem. The closet door had a dozen pairs of shoes hanging on it for the last 5 years, so I am wondering if those hinges were worn more than those on the entry door. Or maybe the entry door hinges are worn more because it's a larger door.

Any suggestions?

Many thanks,
Dave

 

[HomeSealed]

You'll have to play around with the shimming to get it operating properly. As a last resort you may have to remove a little material from the door...However since it fit before, you should be able to get it without doing so.

 

[DangerMouse]

do the doors look identical? perhaps you mixed them up? that would explain (and fix) everything!

DM

 

[ShrimpBurrito]

Thanks for the comments.

They definitely did not get mixed up. The difference in widths is probably about a foot. Not even close.

So am I hearing that mixing up the hinges isn't likely to be the issue?

Dave

 

[DangerMouse]

are they all the same make/model hinges? the holes all line up the same?
i wouldn't think so if...

DM

 

[ShrimpBurrito]

are they all the same make/model hinges? the holes all line up the same?
i wouldn't think so if...

All the holes line up perfectly. They are all Stanley hinges, and although there is no model number on them, they all look and measure the same (from the couple of measurements I took).

Dave

 

[Handyman Jim Noonan]

You'll have to play around with the shimming to get it operating properly. As a last resort you may have to remove a little material from the door...However since it fit before, you should be able to get it without doing so.

Try a shim (spacer) that is not as thick as the old one in the top hinge or remove a little material from the door.

 

[DangerMouse]

that would not make sense, since the OP said he did not paint any edges that would cause it to hang up.
maybe the jamb warped or something? this is an odd one....
and the hinges are all the same? hence most likely not the problem.
hmmmmm

DM

 

[Handyman Jim Noonan]

How do you add someone to your buddy list?

 

[DangerMouse]

How do you add someone to your buddy list?

left click their name and a menu will pop up. add them to contacts there.
although i'm not too sure what exactly it does!?

DM

 

[Ron6519]

that would not make sense, since the OP said he did not paint any edges that would cause it to hang up.
maybe the jamb warped or something? this is an odd one....
and the hinges are all the same? hence most likely not the problem.
hmmmmm

DM

Maybe he painted the door frame. Over time that paint builds up and eventually can cause the door to rub.
I would remove all the paint from the door frame. I doubt there's any paint on the door top or bottom. Nobody ever paints those.
If the door was in an unconditioned or moist space, it could swell. Especially if the top and bottom weren't painted.
There should be 1/8" clearance between the door and frame.
Ron

 

[ShrimpBurrito]

Neither the edges or the door (any of them) or the door jamb were painted. The only surface that was painted was one of the door faces.

While removed, the doors were in the hallway....about 5 feet from where they were hung. Environmental conditions were the same.

That's why I can't think of anything that has changed other than switching up the hinges. But since they are the same model, size, brand, etc., the only reason that would have made a difference is if they wore differently on one door vs. the other.

Dave

 

[DangerMouse]

as old as they are, look for wear on the hinges. a couple COULD be worn more than others and sag a bit. maybe new hinges all around might be a good idea? also, the old hinges MIGHT be different THICKNESSES... that could cause problems....

DM

 

[Gary in WA]

Yes, you mixed up the hinges. To fine tune a door after the install, you sometimes bend, slightly, the hinge leaf. You can also fix a self-closing door by bending the pin. They look the same but have very slight differences which greatly affects their operation. Even new hinges are different from each other. Be safe, GBAR

 

[ShrimpBurrito]

GBAR - Can you suggest any way of matching them back up again? Let's say I have all 8 halves laying in front of me, any idea how to identify the old pairs?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Gary in WA]

Not really, just put a pair together, hopefully with the same pin that was left on one leaf. Even the pins are worn differently, don't cut any doors until you've tried all the combination's. I used to change the door fit , with a crescent wrench, bending the barrels slightly until it fit. It wouldn't take much as they are very sensitive, as you've noticed. I scratch the reference mark and number on each leaf, and tape the pin in a barrel. Be safe, GBAR

 

[4just1don]

try grabbing the doors and wiggling them in half open position,,,check for wear top and bottom,,,or loose hinges,,,loose pins,,might be slight,but doesnt take much. all else fails try moving them around and see if you can improve or make worse the prob.

 

[Rivethead]

Your not mounting them backwards are you? The hinges will usually have a different number of pin ears on them. The ones with the most ears go on the door frame - ears facing in. The ones with the fewer ears go on the door - ears facing away from the door edge.....

 

[49dream]

Having a addition built contractor hung 4 prehung doors then removed them for paint problem is that all hinges were taken apart (pins and off doors) so all halves were mixed up together.Doors all hung even and true before but now some of the hinges sit outside the hing cut out so they are inside on cutout one side and on top of cutout other side needless screws were all stripped. Also i noticed that the hinges were put back together for example 1 half of hinge has 2 holes for the pin other has 3 so some were installed with the 2 side holes on door at top and 3 side in middle and bottom. Could this cause me a problem because none of the doors are alinged like the were when first installed gaps around doors are all different sizes from top to bottom and side to side. Hope im not confusing anyone cause what im trying to say is could mixing all hinges up and installing them in all different patterns would cause mounting problems contractor says no they are all the same . Thanks Phil

 

[kaschmid3]

Check all the hinges make sure they are all on same way ( one side of a hinge is straight while one has a slight bend in it make sure all three on the door r same way